


I'm Never Gonna Bake Again

by PhantomLore



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Started as a teaser thing but now it's actually got a plot???, Wanted spoilers, no ships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-07 05:30:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11052333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomLore/pseuds/PhantomLore
Summary: During the fight in the Homeworld kindergarten, Lars losing his life was a blessing in disguise, as it created a convenient portal home. So what if he lost something else instead? *discontinued IMSORRY*





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Yoooooo first fanfiction what up
> 
> So uh I wasn't sure what to name this but here you go. I'll try to continue this if I can. If not feel free to steal my idea and continue off of it for yourself. Just let me see it ;) if this needs more tags please tell me

"EAT... THIS!" Lars bellowed, plunging the stalactite deep into the eye of the robonoid. Almost immediately, blinding light flooded out from the robot, before it exploded. Violently.

Lars, who had previously been clinging to the machine for dear life, was flung into the nearby cliff side. A sickening WHACK! Was heard as Lars's head smashed into the cliff face. Time seemed to slow down as Lars fell the 20 or so feet to the ground, once again bashing his head against the hard surface, before ragdolling limply and rolling to the side. For a second, everyone was quiet.

"LARS!" Steven cried, shield in hand. He sprinted over to the older boy, eyes wide. He knelt down in front of Lars, and with shaking hands pulled his arm so that Lars was facing upwards. He didn't respond as Steven called his name again, this time quieter. Nobody moved.

"Lars!" Steven pulled on the collar of Lars's tattered shirt. He searched for any sign of life, tears in his eyes. The off-colour gems behind them were speaking in hushed tones, amazed by Lars's brave actions from a few minutes ago. Padparadscha let out a cheer, a few seconds after the others.

Steven placed his hand over Lars's chest, right overtop of the little skull that was printed on his shirt. Steven pressed his ear to Lars's heart, fearing the worst.

...one second... ...two seconds...  
Ka-thump, ka-thump.

Steven pulled away, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. Just unconscious. Would probably have a wicked headache, but hopefully he was no worse for wear. Steven turned to the other gems.

"He's fine. He just got knocked out. Should be fine in a bit." Steven stated, voice wavering a little. The thumping in his own chest was starting to slow down to a reasonable pace.

The gems didn't look very worried, although, Steven thought, they wouldn't have had any experience with human injuries. To them, if they looked at someone, and saw that their form was intact, they'd say they're probably fine.

Steven looked at Lars. He was absolutely covered in scrapes and scratches, from his fall down the cliff. His arms had light burns on them, from the robonoid's explosion. He looked... well, he could look worse. Not a lot worse, but still worse.

Clearing his throat, Steven asked, "Hey, is there anywhere we can rest? Lars is gonna need some time to recover." He glanced back at Lars. Yeah. A lot of time.

Fluorite hummed. "Well... most of us... just... hide here. Either in the holes in the walls, or... we just pass the time here." She curled in on herself, laying down on the rocky floor. The other gems nodded in agreement. "We hardly ever go outside."

Steven thought for a moment. "So no beds or anything... hmm." He looked to where they had entered the kindergarten from. "I'd love to go out and try to find something, food or water... or a pillow." He mused. "But I should probably stay and make sure Lars recovers okay. That was a hard fall." Steven winced just thinking about how Lars would feel waking up. A Headache, some burns, and the dehydration wasn't doing them any favours either.

He made sure Lars was in what looked like a comfortable position (were you supposed to lay an unconscious person on their side, or their back? ...I guess I'll try on his side) before leaning against the cliff, keeping an eye on his charge.

Steven's thoughts drifted. Now what were they gonna do? They wouldn't get very far without food or water. That'll be the first thing in the morning. If they can find any. Stuck on an alien planet with beings who have no use for water, how hard could it be to find?

\- 

After what seemed like hours, Lars's eye twitched. Steven sat up immediately and scooted closer. Lars then moved his arm a bit. Steven could barely contain his excitement.

"Lars! Ohmygoshiwassoworriedwe-" he was interrupted by a loud shush from the addressed. Lars squinted his eyes, then sat up a bit, clutching the back of his head. "Uuuugh.... what- what happened..." he slowly blinked his eyes, before snapping them open, looking around wildly. "What- Where am I? Tell me Steven! Where did you take us?"

"We're still in the kindergarten. You know, where you saved us all from the robonoids?" Steven said, hoping Lars would at least remember that.

This didn't seem to help, as Lars then asked "t-then why is it so dark? What time is it?" He fumbled for his phone, then realized he no longer had it.

Steven frowned. "It's like..." he checked his own phone. "...12:32. AM. Although I'm sure the light here doesn't follow the same pattern as the sun... it's not that dark though." he looked up at where the entrance to the cave was. It was letting in a generous amount of light, enough to flood into the cave and light up the surroundings. Now that Lars was awake, the other gems were coming closer to the two, still curious about the new additions to their crew.

Lars shook his head. Slowly, as not to upset his headache anymore than it already was. He was staring at the far wall. "No- wait, do you have crazy magic night vision or something? Cause to me it's just all black."

Steven paused. "Um, no... it's like the afternoon here. There's plenty of light." He glanced at Lars. "Hey, are you feeling okay?"

Lars didn't look convinced whatsoever. "No no no, you're messing with me or something. C'mon, show me your phone or something."

Steven obediently handed over his phone. Lars clicked a few buttons, turning it over in his hand. He frowned at it. "Rgh. It's dead or something, I don't know! C'mon man, tell the truth!"

"Lars..." Steven stared at him. There was a pause. "Your shirt. The symbol on it, it glows in the dark, right?" This caused Lars to still. He looked in Steven's direction. "If it was dark, you'd still be able to see it." Lars narrowed his eyes. He then glanced down at his shirt. He felt around for the green skull on his chest, feeling the rise in the fabric where it was sewn on. He grabbed it and pulled it towards his face, his face a little more desperate. He rubbed his eyes with one hand, then both of them, and stared at the shirt. And stared and stared.

Steven covered his mouth. "Lars..." he started. Lars slowly turned to look at him. Little beads were forming in the corners of his eyes. "I think you've gone blind."


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The threat of Starvation hangs above them both, but Lars is in no shape to travel. Steven is forced to adventure back out of the kindergarten, and must attempt to find food, or anything useful at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah I had no idea people would like this!! I know my writing leaves much to be desired, but thanks for sticking with me :)

"Oh my stars! It seems the Lars has lost his vision!" Padparadscha gasped. The other gems looked equally shocked. They cast worried glances Lars's way, and he could feel their gazes burning into him.

Lars composure broke. He grit his teeth, before punching the floor with a yell. He slammed his eyes shut, trying to hold back tears, before collapsing on the floor. He broke down weeping, before punching the ground again. And again. "It's not fair, it's not fair, IT'S! NOT! FAIR!" Lars cried. He took in ragged breaths, before saying in a hushed voice, "... I was so ready to stop being afraid..."

Steven could hardly bear seeing Lars like this. He forced cheer into his voice, "We'll get through this, I promise! We just have to look on the bright side of things, like... ...well..." Steven paused. There really wasn't much of a bright side to this. Becoming blind? Yikes. "We're still alive?" Well, that sounded bad now that he said it out loud.

"Sure, but for how long?" Lars snapped at him. He turned his head away, and let out a long uneven sigh. "Face it, we're gonna die here. There's nothing here but rocks, and there's no one coming to save us." He rubbed his eyes, quieting down some.

Steven grimaced. He didn't want to lie to Lars, but he was right. This was pretty bad.

Lars looked awful. Not counting his many injuries (and his newly acquired disability) he looked like he was going to pass out at any moment. Just sitting up seems to be a huge effort.

Steven pulled himself out of his thoughts, standing up. "We really need to go, we can't stay here forever. Those robonoids are probably going to come back. We can't just endanger these gems anymore than we already have." Although he was very reluctant to leave, they simply had to. They needed to find something to drink, at very least.

Lars sighed. "Okay. Let me just-" he began to stand, but he hardly got halfway before falling to his knees, panting. "I don't know if I can come with. I'd just drag you down in this state." He let out a humourless chuckle, before coughing a few loud, raspy coughs.

Steven frowned. "I can't just leave you behind! It's okay, I can carry you, it's-"

"We don't mind watching him." "We can take care of Lars while you're gone." said the Rutiles, looking at the others.

"Yeah! I-I mean... " Rhodonite began. "... it can't be that hard?" She didn't seem convinced by her own words.

"I'll be fine here. I just-" he coughed again, steadying himself by placing a hand on the ground. "I really need some water. I haven't had anything to drink since the night of the party." That was a few days ago, Steven thought. It's a wonder that he managed to find the energy to fight those robots.

Worry still colored Steven's face, but he wasted no time arguing. The sooner he left, the better.

"We can lead you back out." "The entrance is back this way." The twins spoke, starting towards the mouth of the cave. Casting one last look at Lars, who said nothing, Steven followed without question.

\- 

"Good luck to you!" "Safe travels!" Called the rutiles, before returning to the hole in the ground, covering it with a nearby stone. Steven steeled himself. There was no way of knowing when the next robonoid would show up, so he had to move quickly. He picked the closest path, and set off.

The landscape here was... eerie, to say the least. The futuristic buildings were tall, thin  
spires, many reaching up and out of sight. There were many crumbling stone statues of what might have been gems, all watching the landscape silently. The rocks all around seemed to be sleeping, and there was no noise apart from Steven's own footsteps, which had no echo. It made him feel claustrophobic, despite the space he had around him.

He looked up. At the top of the mirror-coated buildings, there was bound to be all sorts of technology that could help them. Maybe even a ship. They could try and steal one, and maybe through trial and error, eventually get to earth. It would take a lot of luck, but they could try.

'Although,' he thought with dismay, 'they'd need to get up there first, and by the looks of it, there wasn't any easy way to get up there.' Steven slumped a bit. This was a tricky situation.

He passed a few more statues, a cliffside made of glittering sandstone, and a rock that looked like a face. Hold on-

He'd passed that rock already. He was sure of it. It even had the goofy eye. And there was the statue that was missing a horn.

Steven let out an aggravated sigh, pulling his hair. At this rate, they'd get nothing for dinner. Or breakfast. Or whatever mealtime it was.

Looking around again, he picked a new direction. Or what he thought was a new direction. He wasn't really sure. Maybe he'd find something before sundown. He really hoped so. To be completely honest, he didn't think Lars would last much longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you send me a kudos/comment/anything I swear it makes my day. Even if it's just a smiley face or whatever.
> 
> Also I'm TRYING to make it around 1000 words every chapter, but we'll see how that goes haha /shot
> 
> edit: I KNOW IT WAS SUPER DISAPPOINTING BUT MORE IS ON THE WAY


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven finds something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I know last chapter was a huge filler but!! Hopefully this makes up for it. I rewrote this like 3 times cause I wanted to do a Lars chapter, but it wasn't working out :| so have a Steven chapter. That means actual stuff happens. So it's good for you guys. Maybe.

He'd been walking. For so. Long. His feet felt heavier than lead. Even thinking happy thoughts didn't seem to help him get lighter. Steven wiped his brow, then glanced at the buildup of sweat on his arm. He was sweaty, and dirty, and so, so tired. Should he just quit? Go back to Lars and the gems empty handed? He couldn't. Just a little more, one step after the other. Left foot, right foot-

Out of the corner of his eye, there was a flash of light. Steven turned quickly, and saw that it was the reflection off a large puddle of water. It was the size of a small pond, or maybe a well. There were no plants or grass or bugs around. Just a big hole in the ground, with water that was evaporating in the sun. However, this was great news for Steven.

Steven immediately sprinted towards it, sliding to a stop once he reached the edge. He knelt by the water's edge, cupping his hands together and bringing some of the sparkling water to his lips-

A giant wave of water crashed down on Steven, dragging him into the pond. Steven kicked and thrashed about, being pulled lower and lower. He hadn't realized how deep this body of water was. He sunk quickly, his ears popping, a current seeming to pull him under at an alarming rate. The water was getting darker and darker, until there was a deep, blue light, which lit up the bottom of the well... and he saw a face. A familiar, angry face, which morphed into an expression of shock. The roaring current around him suddenly stopped.

Steven almost gasped, and then frantically started kicking, desperate to get to the surface for air. He burst out of the water, gasping and hiccuping. He clawed at the rock, dragging himself out of the pit and onto dry land. He barely had a chance to catch his breath and was about to flee, when he heard the figure break through the surface. He flipped onto his back, panting, steeling himself for a fight. He had no chance of winning, not like this. He shakily got up, shifting to a fighting stance-

The figure was simply standing on the water's surface, carrying a worried expression. Steven was confused, when she said in an unsure voice "I-I'm sorry, I thought you were... who are you? What, exactly, are you?"

Steven stared at her, not shifting his stance just yet. 'She's a Lapis, that's why she looked so familiar' he thought. Her hair was a little less wild, and she held herself differently, but this was definitely a Lapis.

"Um- I'm Steven." He said. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to reveal his gem identity or not. "I'm a gem. Well, half-gem." Steven was still on guard, considering she had just tried to drown him a minute ago.

"I saw movement on the surface, I thought you were a machine, so I..." she looked away, apologetic. "Well, I hope I didn't cause any lasting damage?" She said, giving Steven a reproachful look.

He stood more at ease, thinking maybe she was a nice gem. An off colour, like the others. "I'm, I'm okay... you just... caught me off guard." He approached her carefully, peering into the water. It was a long way down. If she hadn't noticed he was a gem, he very well might've been... well. He shook his head. "So why are you trying to drown the robots?"

She stood with her hands on her hips. "They're all over the place, and they shatter innocent gems. I'm always seeing shards laying about..." she looked at the ground for a moment, sorrow in her eyes. "Their weapons make it impossible to approach them without being fried, however, they're very susceptible to water. I've been drowning robonoids for years." The Lapis finished with a smirk.

Steven's eyebrows shot up. "Does that mean you have tons of robot parts? Enough to build a ship maybe?" He said excitedly, hopping from foot to foot. This could be their ticket home.

The Lapis smirked again, pointing behind her. "There's 'tons' of 'robot parts' a little ways off that way. However..." she sighed. "I have no engineering experience, so really it's all just garbage. I'm not sure exactly what you think you'll need, but there's piles and piles of it. You're free to look through it for anything useful. If you are planning on leaving this planet..." she paused, looking at him. "...would you take me with you? Away from this shell of a world, literally anywhere else?"

Steven smiled. "Of course, we'd love to have you back on my planet! You could meet our Lapis!" He said with a grin, which she returned. "This is so great! Lars and the gems are gonna be psyched!" He paused, suddenly aware of what his mission was in the first place. "Actually, we're really in need of water. Would you mind coming with me back to our hideout? Some of us haven't had any in days."

"Of course." She said, curtsying. "You'll probably need something to carry it in, like uh..." she tapped her chin. "Maybe an old fuel tank? Would that work?"

"Oh, probably. We gotta hurry though, I've been gone for hours." Steven said, setting off towards where she had pointed earlier. He stopped, turning around to face her sheepishly. "... Maybe you should lead. I'm not exactly sure where we're headed."

"Oh! Right, this way then." She motioned with her hand for him to follow her. Steven followed with a spring in his step.

-

They didn't actually find any fuel tanks. The robots were powered by a single gem each, working as a high power battery. So, using boiling water, they cleaned some sheet metal as well as they could, then shaped them into large canisters. Water was very strong in the hands of a Lapis. They each carried two large canteens, trudging back to where the other gems were hidden. It was a long walk, but they were glad to do it. Things were starting to look up for them. They'd be home before they know it.

-

"Hey guys, I'm back! And I brought someone!" Steven called once they arrived. "You can all come out now!"

A few heads poked out of the walls. "Steven!" Rhodonite exclaimed before the others could, running over quickly. She glanced at the Lapis, who waved with an unsure smile. Rhodonite wasted but a moment, suddenly grabbing Steven by the shoulders. "Steven, the robonoids, they- they came back, and they- they... oh nooo..." she said, hiding her face in her hands.

Steven's heart dropped into his stomach. "What? What did they do?" He said frantically. He looked around, doing a quick headcount. There was Rhodonite, Fluorite, the Rutiles, Padparadscha behind them...

"It's- it's the human, Lars! He's been taken by the Diamonds!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so hopefully you don't mind me throwing in a character. I tried to make her kinda vague so that she wouldn't steal the show. Anyway I love comments/kudos/any sort of acknowledgment even if it's bad. Maybe don't be too mean though.
> 
> ALSO the last few days I didn't have school or work so I've had plenty of time to write, but school is finishing up and I work on the weekend, so if there's no chapter until Monday I'm sorry :(


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An explanation as to what happened while Steven was gone, as well as what happened before that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know you want what's happening like right now, and not a dumb flashback, but I wanted to write what happened so people wouldn't be like "ok but how did it happen", you know? Idk.

The security station was usually pretty boring. Crowded with gems who have done their jobs for millennia, with minimal change from day to day. However, due to recent events, the mood had completely changed. Rose Quartz, galactic criminal had escaped during the trial. Everyone was on high alert. Ground troops were sent out, robonoid scanning logs were checked every hour, and cameras were on constant watch. If she escaped, every one of their gems would be broken. They were sure of that.

"Check the scanning logs again!" Ordered Sagenite, slamming a fist on the dash. "We can't afford to miss ANYTHING." She hissed through gritted teeth. Two nearby gem technicians saluted, before pattering away, back to their computers. The Sagenite narrowed her eyes, looking at the cameras again. Despite the hundreds of cameras placed around the base of the court buildings, Rose Quartz was only caught in one. She and her human accomplice had escaped by crashing Blue Diamonds' palanquin through an outer wall, falling hundreds of feet to the craggy surface below. Immediately dozens of robonoids were sent to patrol the area, and it didn't take long for one to find her.

"Holy- there she is!" Exclaimed a Peridot, before quickly typing in the code needed to switch to the video feed. Immediately other technicians began searching for the exact coordinates, eager to send more to the location. Other non-technical gems crowded around the moniter, many of which had never seen a Rose Quartz before. The screen flicked to match the view of the robonoid, which currently had both Rose Quartz and the human within sight. With no time to spare, the Peridot grabbed the controls, booting up the energy beam emitter. Rose must have seen the light gathering into a concentrated mass, and she said something to the other, before diving to the side, taking her human with her. The beam struck the rock behind, kicking up a huge mass of rock dust. The dust flooded the area, giving Rose convenient cover. They waited with bated breath for the dust to clear, as the Peridot flicked on the air ventilation to clear it out faster, as well as the audio input. The blanket of dusty air parted, revealing both targets.

"-was about dinosaurs." The human finished. Rose glanced behind them both, and noticed their cover dispersing.

"Lars, c'mon!" She yelled, before dragging 'Lars' by his shirt, away from the robonoid towards more cover. The Peridot at the controls frowned, setting the speed to maximum, which was not very fast. They were sure to be outrun, however with backup on the way, both of them would be cornered eventually. It was best to try and corner them, so Peridot set the robonoid to follow them both at a reasonable speed. Rose and Lars ducked behind a lopsided building, giving the robonoid plenty of time to catch up. The robot rounded the corner, catching sight of them both. It picked that time to scan again, however Rose and the human jumped down into a hole in the ground just in time, and then covered the entrance with a flat stone.

The Peridot sneered. Those two were just buying time. This just meant that they'd have to wait for one of the other robots to come and lift the rock for them, as the robonoid had no way of moving the rock by itself. However, already there were a few robonoids that had gathered around. Peridot typed in the coordinates to the area, and found the nearest drilling unit, sending it to where the small mechanical army was gathering. They had nowhere to go, and were soon to be outnumbered. It was only a matter of time until they were caught and shattered. 

-

It was very cold in the kindergarten. Every surface had been out of the light of day for so long, it was practically frosted over. Back when fighting the robonoids, Lars was busy running all over the place, dodging lasers, smashing machines, and shielding gems with his body. This got his body moving and his blood pumping, so the cold wasn't much of a problem. However, now... Lars shivered. His clothes were soaked with sweat, which stole even more heat from him. Since Steven left, the many discomforts he had were amplified. This included the gnawing hunger that had plagued him for three days, as well as his aching head. There wasn't even very much to distract himself with, now that his sight was gone. Now that he thought about it, losing his sight was a whole other ordeal. It made him feel like the walls were closing in on him, and at the same time it felt as if the ground was the only surface around him for miles. It was very disorienting.

He wasn't sure whether he wanted to talk to the other gems, and at the moment he was pretending to be asleep. The gems didn't seem to question it, despite his terrible acting. Some were chatting idly not too far away, such as the Rutiles, who were talking about what they had found on their expedition before they had found the two humans (well, human and half-human. Lars wasn't sure what to count Steven as). A few were making no noise at all, so he had no idea what they were doing, maybe daydreaming or something.

Considering how long they had been hiding here, the Off Colors really didn't have much to do. They must have just sat and waited for years on end, considering they didn't even sleep to pass the time. They didn't eat either. Really what did they do during all that time? Lars didn't feel like giving them a chance to know him, at least not yet. He was still coming to terms with trying to be himself, without being afraid of how they'd react, but... they were aliens. And that was a little frightening. For now he'd try to get some more sleep, even though he knew it was a lost cause. Maybe he'd try and join their conversation later. 

-

"They're coming!" "Everyone, hide!" The Rutiles yelled, breaking Lars out of his thoughts, and he shot up to a sitting position. He heard the pattering of feet as the other gems rushed to hide in the walls, and stood up to hide himself. He looked around out of instinct, however when his eyes showed nothing, he remembered his predicament. He wasn't sure who was coming, maybe more robonoids? Either way, he had no way of fighting them, not without his sight. He stumbled forward until he found a wall, and went into the first human-sized hole he could find, crouching low to the ground. Now he heard it. The rhythmic shuffling of dozens of feet moving together. He wasn't sure how many gems they had sent to find him and Steven, but it had to be a bunch, considering how loud they all were together.

The stomping stopped. A loud voice rang out. "Rose Quartz. You will reveal yourself now, or face the consequences."

Lars covered his mouth to keep from hyperventilating. What were they going to do? If Steven didn't show up, they'd search the entire cave, finding all the gems that were hiding, and shatter them all. But they couldn't just tell them that. Lars rubbed his face with his hands. He had to do something. None of the other gems could do anything without giving themselves away. He knew what he had to do.

It's okay to be afraid.

Lars stood up, on shaking legs. He moved his hand along the wall, peering out of his hiding place. He took a deep breath, before calling out to them. "She's not here." He said, his voice wavering. Lars stepped out to face them as best as he could. As soon as the army caught sight of him, a few rushed towards him and he cowered in on himself, bringing his hands up to shield his face. Two of them grabbed him roughly and bound his hands behind his back with some sort of energy-cuffs. He heard slow, confident footsteps walk towards him, before they halted right in front of him. Lars couldn't stop himself from shaking, and he wasn't sure whether it was due to fatigue or fear.

"Face me." The gem said, calm and in charge. By where her voice was coming from, this gem was a head or two taller than him. He turned his head up to face her as best as he could. She must have seen his eyes, unfocused and blurry, because she immediately burst into laughter.

"So, you've lost your sight and suddenly you're of no more use to her?" She began, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Or did Rose just leave you behind so that we'd shatter you instead? Pathetic." She spat. "We'll see how Rose feels once we're done with you." The gem turned, beckoning the rest of the gems that were with her to follow. The two gems that held Lars began marching at a quick pace, and Lars would stumble every few steps. He didn't struggle. As long as Steven and the Off colours were safe, he thought, it'll be fine. It's okay to be afraid, it's okay to be afraid, it's...

God, was he afraid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I didn't do much proofreading but I will do that in the morning so here have it right now if something doesn't make sense please tell me cause I'm really tired and probably made like 100 mistakes


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars gets thrown in the big house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) sorry about not updating yesterday. I hadn't even planned this chapter yet, and it was really late by the time I figured out what I wanted to write  
> 2) this next chapter or so is giving me a hard time so it might take a little longer to write :/ sorry. Give me an extra day maybe. But I've got most of the rest of the story planned out, so hopefully that speeds things up.

Lars was pushed forward by the guards, tripping over his own feet and landing in a heap on the floor. He heard chuckling from the two of them, and glared in their direction. 

"So how long d'you think he'll last in there?" One of them said to the other. "I'm betting on... three days, tops."

"Nah, look how wimpy he is! He won't even make it 'til morning, I'm sure." The other laughed. He heard the clank of a gate closing, and what sounded like buzzing static. Lars assumed the gate was powered with electricity, and decided he didn't feel like messing with that. The guards both chatting idly to each other as they walked away. Lars didn't let his guard down until they were well out of earshot. He let out a relieved sigh. Seems like he was on his own for a little while.

He turned his head towards where he thought the back wall of the cell would be, and rose to his feet, with great effort. He hurt all over, and searched for a wall to lean against, holding his hand out in front of him. He walked a few steps, and then heard some shuffling, something very near to him. Lars yelped, before backing away quickly, towards the door. He strained his ears, hoping it wasn't anything dangerous-

"Woah! Hey, look at the new addition!" Someone remarked. Lars heard the sound of many people talking amongst themselves. He gulped, realizing this was more of a prison ward than a cell. He crossed his arms across his chest defensively, getting anxious. There were quite a few people here with him, he just hoped it didn't get ugly. There was a pause, before the same person as before continued, saying "soooo... are you gonna introduce yourself or not?" In an amused tone. A few others snickered.

Lars blinked. This was... not what he expected. He narrowed his eyes at them. "What's it to you?" He wasn't just gonna go all buddy-buddy with some gems he just met. At least not until he knew their names.

The gem snorted, throwing her hands up. "Alright, we'll go first." She made a motion that he couldn't see, but it sounded like she thumped her chest with a fist. "I'm Chalcedony. Incarcerated for shattering countless Quartz soldiers. It's not too often we see new folks around here." She leaned in towards him. "Care to tell us your name now, pretty boy?" A few of the other gems 'oooh'ed and giggled.

Lars swallowed. "It's- I-I'm Lars." He stuttered, suddenly very aware of how vulnerable he was in this situation. "I'm a human."

Chalcedony hummed, examining him. "Huh. So what are you in for? Lemme guess: disrespecting the Diamonds, or an Agate or something. I can see it in you. A disrespect for authority. I like that." She smirked.

Lars rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhh... no, actually..." Should he tell them? He might as well tell them. "A friend of mine has been on the run for about 6 thousand years, and I kind of... dragged myself into all of it." He scowled at the wall. If he hadn't been so stupid, he'd be on earth right now. There were so many times in the last couple days where he just had to act normal, and not be such a coward. If he had an ounce more courage, he wouldn't be in this mess.

Chalcedony let out an amused huff. "Well, hate to break it to ya kid, but that's life. Making mistakes until you die. Happens to all of us. So..." There was a note of mischief in her voice. "Who was this friend of yours? Is she in here somewhere?" She glanced around.

Lars shook his head. "No, at least I don't think so. He was out finding food when I got caught." This was getting too personal for Lars. He frowned, stuffing his hands in his pockets. They could stop asking questions at any time, now.

"Oh, so not a gem?" Chalcedony asked, seemingly disappointed. "What is he then?"

Lars paused. "He's... Steven. He's some sort of Gem-human hybrid. I think he said he was a Rose Quartz." Whispers and hushed voices arose from the crowd, and the gems all began talking over one another, asking a hundred questions.

"Whaaaat! I thought she was shattered years ago!"  
"Nah man it was the diamond attack on earth, remember?"  
"That song of corruption?"  
"Ah yeah, I remember now."  
"She survived that? How?"  
"Rose Quartz DOES have healing powers..."  
"Can her powers heal corruption though?"

"So... you said Rose was on Homeworld somewhere? In hiding?" Chalcedony said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin.

"As far as I know, yeah." Lars mumbled. He didn't know Steven was such a big deal. Lars thought back on how he'd always acted towards Steven. Maybe he would have treated Steven better had he known about his reputation. Wait, no, he probably wouldn't have.

Chalcedony clapped her hands together, startling Lars. "Does that mean she's planning a big assault on homeworld?" She grinned, and Lars could hear excitement in her voice.

He blinked. "... I don't think so? Really we're just trying to get back home." He sighed, crossing his arms. Who knows when that'll happen. At this rate, not anytime soon. "To earth."

A gem behind Chalcedony gasped. "But- wasn't the earth incubating a cluster? It should have emerged by now, unless... "

"Unless it was compromised somehow." Said another. "Does that mean that the earth is safe? Free from the diamond's control?" 

All the gems looked at Lars, hope in their eyes. Was there really a chance for them to live happily, somewhere far from the tyranny of their rulers?

There was a pause, which was interrupted by a weak laugh from Lars. "I mean, it beats this place."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please give me feedback! I want to improve + also then it tells me how many people are liking my story  
> EDIT: I've completely lost interest in this fic so don't expect any more updates :| sorry guys. I won't delete this though

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews/Kudos/Comments are greatly appreciated!


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